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STEP-UP

NIH Renews $884K STEP-UP Grant

Emil Bogenmann, PhD, EdD, director of research education at The Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, received a five-year renewal grant of $884,000 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to provide biomedical research training to disadvantaged college undergraduates.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases' (NIDDK) STEP-UP Program is designed to provide short-term research education and career development for undergraduate students from underrepresented minorities or students with disadvantaged backgrounds. The STEP-UP program is unique in its goal of increasing the participation of students from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical research. Investigations performed by students are relevant to pediatric and adult illnesses including diabetes, obesity, hematological and cardiovascular diseases and others that disproportionally affect our under-resourced communities.

Students perform 10 weeks of hands-on biomedical research during the summer under the mentorship of faculty located at The Saban Research Institute at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. The program culminates in a trip to the National Institutes of Health for a science symposium where all students present their research.

The STEP-UP program at The Saban Research Institute is one of only three such sites in the nation and has trained over 130 students since 2007. Many students have successfully enrolled in doctoral or professional degree programs.

Requirements

Applicants must:

be undergraduate students

have completed at least 1 year at an accredited institution

be United States citizens, non-citizen nationals or legal permanent residents

To Apply

What Students Say

"It is safe to say that after my summer research experience I will pursue a higher education degree in biophysics or biomedical research. The program and the inclusion of young fresh minds in cutting edge research has greatly impressed me. There is something fulfilling about deciphering things you see in everyday's life."

Ramon Martinez, Bachelor of Science, Physics, University of California, Berkeley, 2011
Accepted in PhD program, University of Michigan

“This summer research experience has not only helped me to develop as a scientist, but also as an individual. It helped to show me that I can be much more independent and self sufficient than I thought myself to be. The internship provided me with the opportunity to network with fellow students who will one day become our fellow scientists."